Summary: As we look at the classic movie It’s A Wonderful Life, we discuss the impact that each of our Christian lives can have on the world around us.

2. I received a special gift from one of my daughters that will aid my preaching preparation. The title of the book is The Best of the Good Clean Jokes, by Bob Phillips.

3. Here’s a sample – An after dinner speaker was in such a hurry to get to his speaking engagement that when he arrived and sat down at the head table, he realized that he had forgotten his false teeth.

a. Turning to the man next to him he said, “Oh no, I forgot to bring my false teeth.”

b. The man said, “No problem,” and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of false teeth. “Try these,” he said. The speaker tried them, but said, “They are too loose.”

d. The man was not taken back at all, he said, “I have one more pair, try these.”

e. The speaker said, “They fit perfectly.” With that he ate his meal and gave his speech.

f. After the event was over, the speaker went up to the man to thank him for his help with the teeth. He said, “I want to thank you for coming to my aid. Where is your office? I’ve been looking for a good dentist.”

g. The man replied, “You’re welcome, but I’m not a dentist. I’m a funeral director.”

4. That has absolutely nothing to do with today’s sermon, but I thought you might enjoy it.

B. Today’s lesson is our final sermon in this three-part series I’ve called Christmas Classics.

1. We been looking at three of the best holiday films of all time, and we have been drawing some spiritual lessons from them.

3. How many of you have seen that film? I figured that most, if not all, of us would have seen it.

C. It’s A Wonderful Life was made in 1946 and went into general release on January 7, 1947.

1. It was produced and directed by Frank Capra and loosely based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern.

2. Stern had tried to get someone to pick up his short story and make it into a movie, but it was going nowhere. So he decided to make it into a Christmas card which he sent out to all his friends and contacts.

3. It got picked up by a movie company for $10,000 and three movie scripts were made from the short story, but none of them made it to production.

4. When Frank Capra discovered the short story, he bought the rights to it and the three movie scripts for $10,000 and the rest is history.

1. The film did okay at the box office, coming it at 26th among the 400 features released that year, just one place ahead of the Christmas movie we discussed last week – Miracle on 34th Street.

2. It became the Christmas movie classic it is today only because of its repeated television showings at Christmas-time in the 1970s, when its copyright protection slipped and it fell into the public domain and TV stations could air it for free.